Tiger Woods on his health, future playing plans, LIV Golf and more

Golf fans volition person to hold a fewer much weeks to ticker Tiger Woods play again.

The 15-time large champion was forced to propulsion retired of this week's Hero World Challenge, a tourney helium hosts successful the Bahamas, due to the fact that of plantar fasciitis successful his close foot.

Woods said doctors told him that the information is related to terrible injuries helium suffered to his close limb and ft successful a car wreck extracurricular Los Angeles successful February 2021. Woods besides revealed that helium had 2 further surgeries during the past year.

Woods, 46, said helium inactive planned to play successful 2 events adjacent period due to the fact that helium tin usage a cart. Woods and satellite No. 1 golfer Rory McIlroy volition conflict Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas successful the latest variation of The Match, which is scheduled to beryllium played connected Dec. 10 astatine Pelican Golf Club extracurricular Tampa, Florida.

Woods besides is slated to play with his son, Charlie, successful the PNC Championship successful Orlando, Florida, connected Dec. 17-18.

On Tuesday, Woods met the media for the archetypal clip since the 150th Open Championship astatine St. Andrews successful July. He spoke connected a plethora of topics, including his health, aboriginal plans, the PGA Tour's ongoing conflict with LIV Golf and different subjects during a 30-minute quality league successful the Bahamas.

Were you amazed you weren't capable to play successful the Hero World Challenge this week?

WOODS: Well, arsenic I was ramping up and had to locomotion more, the worse it got. So erstwhile you get plantar fasciitis, the worst happening you tin bash is walk, and I was walking much and much and more, trying to get my legs acceptable for this event, and I conscionable kept making it worse. So [I] had to unopen it down and, unfortunately, beryllium the big of the lawsuit and Ranger Rick retired here. So I tin bash that.

What is your extremity for adjacent twelvemonth successful presumption of however galore tournaments you privation to play?

WOODS: The extremity is to play conscionable the large championships and possibly 1 oregon 2 more. That's it. I mean, physically, that's each I tin do. I told you that [at] the opening of this year, too. I mean, I don't person overmuch near successful this leg, truthful cogwheel up for the biggest ones and hopefully, you know, lightning catches successful a vessel and I'm up determination successful contention with a accidental to win. Hopefully, I retrieve however to bash that. But again, giving myself a accidental to get retired determination again. As I said, I didn't expect to play 3 majors this year. We were hoping for conscionable the British Open, but I was capable to get 2 much there, truthful that was a large positive.

You indispensable person worked incredibly hard to get to the constituent wherever you could astir play here. I cognize you can't play. Is determination ever a portion of you that thinks, "Why support going? Why support trying this? I've got thing other to prove."

WOODS: Well, I emotion competing. You know, I emotion sports. I've been playing it fundamentally each my life. And you know, actually, I've been a pro for much than fractional my life. So If you look astatine it successful those terms, you know, I've been a portion of this athletics and I've loved it. It's conscionable unfortunate I'm not capable to bash the things that I consciousness mentally I tin bash -- the assemblage conscionable benignant of rejects it. When I was astatine home, I was shooting 4, 5, 6, 7 nether par similar it was nothing, but I was successful a cart. Now you adhd successful walking and that goes away. So I request to get to that constituent wherever I tin really locomotion astir and play that way, similar each of you guys can. I'm not capable to bash that close now.

Does the latest setback mean you've regressed successful your comeback?

WOODS: It's going to instrumentality probably, you know, a period oregon 2 of rest. But also, it was the ramping-up process that did it. It's a balancing act, right? How hard bash you propulsion it to marque advancement portion not pushing it excessively hard to spell disconnected the borderline and you acceptable yourself backmost two, 3 days, and that's been the balancing enactment the full year. And trying to bash that, get acceptable for this event, I did a batch of formation walks trying to simulate the soil retired present and my ft conscionable did not similar that precise much.

Would you ever see utilizing a play cart successful a PGA Tour event?

WOODS: On the PGA Tour? No. On the sanctioned events wherever it's allowed, yes, which is the Champions Tour, PNC, things of that nature. My teammate was Casey Martin, OK, and what helium did with the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act), I voted against it. I deliberation [walking] is an integral portion of the crippled astatine our level and I volition ne'er instrumentality a play cart until it's sanctioned. It's sanctioned connected the Champions Tour and the PNC is portion of that. As acold arsenic a regular event, no, I would ne'er bash that.

Rory McIlroy said successful a published study past week that he gave you COVID-19 soon earlier the Open Championship astatine St. Andrews. Were you ever really tested?

WOODS: Yeah, I got tested. I was ever negative. I was feeling nether the weather, yes, wasn't feeling large the full week, but I ne'er got a affirmative test.

If you were to spell backmost a twelvemonth agone and look into the future, what benignant of surprises you the most, oregon what didn't you spot coming?

WOODS: Personally, for me, I was hoping to possibly play the British Open (U.S. Open) [but] ended up playing 3 majors, which is not excessively bad, each things considered. I wasn't expecting to person a fewer much procedures due to the fact that of playing, but that's conscionable the mode it goes. As acold arsenic the play ecosystem, I don't deliberation immoderate of america would person foreseen it being arsenic analyzable arsenic it is and convoluted arsenic it has become, and the animosity from some sides. I don't deliberation we would've seen that a twelvemonth ago.

Do you foresee a time erstwhile the PGA Tour and LIV Golf tin coexist successful the play ecosystem?

WOODS: There's an accidental retired determination if some organizations enactment a enactment connected their litigation, but that's the problem: They've got to enactment a enactment connected it. And whether oregon not they bash that oregon not, there's nary willingness to negociate if you person a litigation against you. So if they some person a enactment and past person a interruption and past they tin conscionable and fig thing out, past possibly determination is thing to beryllium had. But I deliberation [LIV Golf CEO and commissioner] Greg [Norman] has to go, archetypal of all, and then, obviously, litigation against america and past our countersuit against them, those would past person to beryllium astatine a enactment arsenic well. So past we tin talk, we tin each speech freely.

Right present arsenic it is, not close now, not with their leadership, not with Greg determination and his animosity towards the circuit itself. I don't spot that happening. As Rory said and I said it arsenic well, I deliberation Greg's got to permission and past we tin eventually, hopefully, person a enactment betwixt the 2 lawsuits and fig thing out. But wherefore would you alteration thing if you've got a suit against you? They sued america first.

Do the sides request to travel to immoderate benignant of compromise soon?

WOODS: Yeah, I don't cognize whether it's going to beryllium me, Rory oregon the circuit oregon different players being, I wouldn't needfully accidental a peacemaker, but I conscionable deliberation that there's a model of accidental for america from some tours to fig this retired shortly. But I deliberation that window's closing conscionable due to the fact that the majors are coming up present and they're going to person their ain criteria for the majors. But if they tin bash it rapidly earlier that ... but again, that goes backmost to LIV and their lawsuit. They're suing america archetypal and we countersued them, truthful they person to backmost disconnected the table, they volition backmost disconnected the array and past we'll person a spot to talk. But their enactment has to alteration arsenic well. If that doesn't, past I deliberation it's going to proceed to spell down the way that it's going close now.

You and Rory McIlroy spoke to a radical of PGA Tour players earlier the BMW Championship successful Wilmington, Delaware, successful August. Why bash you deliberation it was important for you to beryllium successful that gathering and what was your connection to the different players?

WOODS: Well, the connection is that we can't vie dollar for dollar with [Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund], conscionable we physically can't bash that. But what we tin bash is speech astir amended opportunities for younger players getting onto the tour, what it means to play the tour, however important it is, however important it is to person a legacy, [to] beryllium capable to triumph large championships.

As of close now, we don't cognize wherever the large championships basal connected this. So if you're a circuit player, you already cognize that you're successful the large championships, you're successful the apical 50, so, OK, that's a guarantee, but the different players don't. They're taking a accidental of ne'er ever, ever getting a accidental to play successful large championships. And truthful wherever does your bequest basal there? You know, I went connected the [LIV] circuit and made a batch of money, but I ne'er got to triumph immoderate tournaments that are of worth that would enactment maine successful the Hall of Fame and things of that nature.

So yes, determination was a batch of speech of that and ways successful which we tin summation purses, reward players that are much disposable than others that thrust the [PGA] tour, reward them, and besides springiness amended entree to the circuit astatine antithetic ages and successful antithetic ways than we ever person successful the past. So It was a agelong meeting, a batch of antithetic options were enactment astir and we each had to deliberation astir it, beryllium back. Then we've had galore consequent meetings, FaceTime meetings, trying to fig it retired and marque it amended and besides worked with the circuit to effort and marque it amended arsenic well.

Rory has been arsenic outspoken arsenic you person been astir LIV Golf. What bash you marque of his enactment connected the PGA Tour?

WOODS: What Rory has said and done are what leaders do. Rory is simply a existent person retired present connected tour. The information that he's really capable to get the things helium said retired successful the nationalist eye, beryllium truthful clear-minded with it and truthful eloquent with it; meanwhile, spell retired determination and triumph play tournaments connected apical of that, radical person nary thought however hard that is to do, to beryllium capable to abstracted those 2 things. But he's been fantastic. He's a large person successful our calls we make, and he's a large person with each the players retired here. Everyone respects him and they respect him due to the fact that not conscionable his ballstriking, his driving, but the idiosyncratic helium is.

How has the menace of LIV Golf changed the mode the PGA Tour works?

WOODS: There's been immoderate ebb and flow, immoderate give-and-take from players and the commissioners and their staff. I deliberation this twelvemonth much truthful than immoderate different clip that we've had the openness to beryllium capable to speech to our commissioner [Jay Monahan] and say, "These are things that we privation to get amended connected the circuit and here's a database of them," and priority, too. Jay sat done a batch of these meetings, a batch of the league calls and with Rory and I talking to him excessively arsenic well.

I deliberation we made immoderate large changes, but however bash we besides replenish players that person left? That's evidently giving much opportunities for players that are coming into the crippled that are younger, collegiate oregon amateur, much entree to it. The crippled has gotten younger, period. I mean, guys are winning majors successful their mid-to-early 20s. But besides we privation to get younger kids coming successful present and playing the crippled of play and experiencing the circuit and experiencing what it's similar to play successful large championships and hopefully triumph them.

Phil Mickelson took a batch of vigor for complaining astir the PGA Tour. With everything that has changed connected tour, including elevated purses, bash you deliberation Mickelson is owed an apology?

WOODS: No, perfectly not, no. We took retired an tremendous indebtedness during the pandemic successful which if we had different twelvemonth of the pandemic, our circuit would lone beryllium sustained for different year. We took retired an tremendous loan. It worked, it paid disconnected successful our benefit, hence we were capable to usage that wealth to marque the increases that we've made.

Where bash you spot the conflict with LIV Golf ending up?

WOODS: We don't know. No 1 knows. Right now, there's a batch of animosity, particularly from their leadership. And they privation to beryllium a validated circuit with satellite ranking points and they're buying up tours astir the world. I don't cognize what their extremity crippled is. It mightiness beryllium conscionable being an authoritative subordinate of the play ecosystem and being recognized with satellite ranking points. I deliberation that's what their intended extremity is.

You know, they've spent astir apt adjacent to $2 cardinal this year. Who's to accidental they can't walk $4 [billion] oregon $5 cardinal adjacent year? We conscionable don't know. It's an endless pit of money. But that doesn't needfully make legacies either. You privation to comparison yourself to [Ben] Hogan, you privation to comparison yourself to [Sam] Snead, you privation to comparison yourself to [Jack] Nicklaus. You can't bash that implicit there, but you tin connected this tour.

Is the ongoing animosity betwixt the tours bully for golf?

WOODS: As I said, I deliberation it has to commencement with enactment connected their side. Understanding what is happening close now, it's not successful the champion acceptable oregon aboriginal for the full crippled of golf. Now, what is the champion mode for our crippled to grow? It's not this way. But granted, you request to person the 2 bodies travel together. If 1 broadside has truthful overmuch animosity, idiosyncratic trying to destruct our tour, past however bash you enactment with that?

You've won the Player Impact Program 2 years successful a row, adjacent aft playing lone 9 rounds successful 3 majors this past season. What are your thoughts connected PIP?

WOODS: Everything evolves. I mean, look astatine the FedEx [Cup] iterations we've had. One of the years Vijay [Singh] didn't adjacent person to tee it up. He didn't adjacent person to amusement up for the past tournament, our season-ending event, and helium would've won the FedEx Cup. We've had antithetic iterations of the FedEx Cup and there's nary quality with the PIP. I'm definite we'll person antithetic iterations of that going guardant arsenic well. There is nary cleanable system. You privation radical who thrust the tour, who are astir visible, and the radical that ticker play due to the fact that of these definite players [to] beryllium rewarded for it. We haven't recovered the cleanable exemplary for that yet and hopefully we bash sometime soon. We're inactive moving connected it.

LIV Golf is attempting to get designation from the Official World Golf Ranking. What are your thoughts connected the existent OWGR?

WOODS: Yeah, OWGR, it's a flawed system. That's thing we each present recognize. The tract astatine [the DP World Tour Championship at] Dubai got little points than [the RSM Classic at] Sea Island and much of the apical players were determination successful Dubai, truthful evidently there's a flawed system. How bash you hole it? You know, those are meetings we're going to person to have. We're going to person to person it with [the OWGR] committee and arsenic the main tours that are progressive successful it. Somehow travel up with a amended strategy than is successful spot now. I retrieve erstwhile I had a large pb successful my career, I didn't person to play a azygous tourney the adjacent twelvemonth and I inactive would beryllium ranked No. 1. We changed that strategy then. So it has been changed successful the past, and I'm definite this volition beryllium changed hopefully soon.

What volition you retrieve astir the past twelvemonth successful men's nonrecreational golf?

WOODS: Well, I deliberation this full year, it's a twelvemonth we didn't expect to person happened -- the animosity, the angst and past the players leaving, and past the mode they showed their disregard oregon disrespect to the circuit that helped them get to that point. A batch of things I surely don't similar astir it and there's definite players that are precise up beforehand with it and person declared it, and I respect them for that. But there's besides a flip broadside to that, too, that I thought was a small spot connected the tasteless side.